Folding step-ladder



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91.9499299199 Vl-oLDNG STBP'LADDER- n No. 295,299.' Patented M91. 19, 1994..

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FOLDING STEP-LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 295,299, dated March 1,8, 1884.

Application filed January 28, 1884. (No modeLl To @Zi roh/mi, it may concern,.-

Be it known that l, GEORGE A. SOMMER, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Inn proved Folding StepLadder, ot' which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to that class of stepladders which have side rails or banisters to assist a person in ascending and descending the ladder; and the invention consists, principally, in arranging the side rails or banisters and standard ot' the ladder to act together in such manner that the opening and closing of the side bars will at thesame time open and close the standard, and vice versa.

The invention also consists of the combination, with the stan dard and side bars arranged to aot together in opening and closing, of autoniatioally-operating brace-rods for holding the ladder in open condition for use.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speoication, in which similar letters of reference indicate oorresponding parts in all the rigores.

Figure l is a side elevation of my new and improved step-lad der as it appears when open l'or use. Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the ladder closed; and Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the ladder closed.

The side boards, A A, steps B B, and landing C of the ladder are of the usual construction. and the standard D is also of the usual construction, except that the bars (l d thereof are pivoted to the side boards, A, near the landing C, upon the pivots :L a, and the upper ends of the bars extend above the landing C, as shown in the drawings.

To the upper ends of the bars d rl are pivoted by pivots b b the upper ends of the side rails or banisters, E E. Thelower ends ofthe side rails, E E, are pivoted by pivots on to the links F F, which are pivoted by pivots e e to the side boards, A A, near their lower ends, as shown clearly in Fig. l, sotha-t these links F F serve to fold the lower ends of the rails E E down to the sides of the side boards, A A, when the upper ends of the bars d dare drawn toward the side boards, A A, in closing the standard D against the back of the ladder. By drawing the standard D outward at itslower ends the parts of t-he bars d d thereof reaching above the pivots a o will carry i the upper ends of the side rails, EE, outward away from the front of the ladder, and the links F F will cause the lower ends ofthe rails to be carried out a like distance to the position shown in Fig. l, where they serve to as sist a person to ascend and descend the ladder; and to prevent the standard D from being swung outward too far in opening theladder I provide the rear edges of t-he side boards, A A, with the notched braces or rods J .l and the bars d d with the staples gg, through which the braee-rodsJ .l pass, the outer hooks, j, being of greater length than the width of the staples g g, so that they serve as stops to limit the outward movement of the standard D, and the brace-rods J J are curved downward at their lower edges, as shown at j', and notched to forni the offsets jl, which offsets engage with thelower parts of the staples g, for holding the ladder in open position for use, andthe curves 7" ofthe braces, when theladder is being opened, cause the staples to pass the oifsets ji, 'permitting the offsets j2 to drop of their own weight behind the lower bars of the staples g, thus causing the braces to automatically engage with the staples without any attention on the part of the person opening the ladder.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The bars d d of the standard D, pivoted to the side boards, A, of the ladder and reaching above the ladder, in combination with railsE and links F, pivoted to the side boards, A, and lower ends of the rails E, the rails E being pivoted to the upper ends of the bars cl d, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The braces J, formed with the curved edges j' and offset f2, and hoolrj, in combination with the staples g and the simultaneously opening and closing standard and side rails, D E, substantiallyT as and for the purposes set forth.

GEORGE ANTON SOMMER.

vVitnessesz JOHN N. SMITH, WM. ELLIOTT. 

